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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28614483">reach into the darkness and there's nothing to hold</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/inquisitor_tohru/pseuds/inquisitor_tohru'>inquisitor_tohru</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars Sequel Trilogy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Awkward Boners, First Time Blow Jobs, Handcuffed Together, Holding Hands, M/M, Sharing a Bed, Sith Artifacts (Star Wars), Virgin Armitage Hux</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 05:48:50</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,032</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28614483</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/inquisitor_tohru/pseuds/inquisitor_tohru</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"Hang on, let me get this straight. Not only are we handcuffed together by order of your Supreme Leader, but they're <i>ancient magic handcuffs</i> he lifted from a Sith temple."</p><p>"That's about the measure of it."</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Poe Dameron/Armitage Hux</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>58</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Hoelidays Gift Exchange 2021</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>reach into the darkness and there's nothing to hold</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/misura/gifts">misura</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I hope you enjoy your treat ♥</p><p>Also, thank you to my very own partner in crime for all the brainstorming help and encouragement!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Hang on, let me get this straight. Not only are we handcuffed together by order of your Supreme Leader, but they're <em> ancient magic handcuffs </em> he lifted from a Sith temple." Hux had already explained it to him when he'd come to, but in Dameron's defense, he'd almost definitely suffered a concussion. "And also, you're the spy. I <em> knew </em>it!" Somehow, he very much doubted that.</p><p>"That's about the measure of it," Hux said, his eyes darting around the corridor while Dameron continued to examine the glowing red cuffs in question, "and that if one of us dies...well, both of us die."</p><p>"Just a little complication then." Dameron rubbed at his wrist, and Hux couldn't blame him. His own skin itched even beneath the leather of his glove, and where the cuff pressed against his bare skin, the pain was excruciating. He wasn't surprised that it had woken Dameron, but he could admit to being impressed by his resilience. It wasn't often that Hux met anyone whose tolerance for physical pain matched his own. Yet he'd given up First Order intelligence without coercion, and the FOSB agents hadn't managed to get a peep out of Dameron.</p><p>"This isn't to keep me safe, is it?" Concussion or not, Hux was beginning to lose what little patience remained.</p><p>"Sharp as a brick, Dameron." Poe rolled his eyes, but didn't argue. He really must have been feeling out of sorts. "I believe the saying is 'two cuckoo hens with one stone'."</p><p>"Right, and we're the cuckoo hens. Got it." In a strange way, it had been a comfort that Ren had cared enough to do this, that he'd seen Hux as a threat, rather than a sad little footnote in the First Order's history.</p><p>On the other hand, he was a cuckoo hen.</p><p> </p><p>There were a couple of odd looks as the two of them made their way to the bridge, but Hux being Hux ensured that their passage through the <em> Steadfast's </em>corridors went unchallenged. That was something, at least. Ren and Pryde could look down on him and exclude him all they wanted, but it wouldn't change the fact that Hux still had the loyalty and respect of the First Order's military.</p><p>As expected, Dameron was dragging his feet, probably in an attempt to irritate him further. If he'd been feeling more charitable, he might have put it down to Dameron's legs being shorter than his own, or the limp he'd acquired after his visit to the interrogation chamber, but Hux was not known for being charitable. High Command would be meeting in less than half an hour, and naturally Dameron was considered a security risk and, therefore, so was he.</p><p>"What are we doing here?" Dameron asked, when Hux led him over to a console. At least he had the good sense to lower his voice.</p><p>"Nothing you need to concern yourself with." Now that they'd stopped moving, the burning sensation in his wrist seemed to intensify. He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, then took out one of his code cylinders, wishing that they hadn't cuffed his dominant hand as it fell to the floor.</p><p>"Let me help with that," said Dameron, bending down without warning and subsequently dragging Hux down to his level. He was infuriating, though the pain from the cuffs had lessened for a moment. For some reason it was worse when they stood still. He let Dameron activate the console, seeing as he had his good hand free, and prayed no one was watching too closely. He really didn't want to be asked to explain why he was giving a Resistance prisoner access to High Command's meeting agendas and minutes for the last six months.</p><p>"Hurry up," he hissed, determined to leave. Determined to get <em> moving </em>again.</p><p>"Yeah, I know. I can feel it, too, you know." Hux could hear him grinding his teeth, and hoped that he wasn't planning on taking both of them out. He knew some of the rebels they'd captured had hidden pills in false teeth, to bite before they broke. Then again, if that was Dameron's plan, he'd likely be dead already. Hux slid him a data stick, and urged him to transfer the records. Providing the First Order's holonet connection behaved, they'd be out of here in two minutes.</p><p>The holonet connection did not behave.</p><p>This was exactly the kind of thing Hux had anticipated when High Command had (mostly) agreed on sharing First Order resources with the Sith fleet, and if you asked him, they'd taken far more than their fair share. Every time he glimpsed one of their star destroyers with superweapons cannibalized from <em> his </em>blueprints, he-</p><p>No, he'd reflect on that later, when he was further away from Ren, and preferably no longer handcuffed to Dameron.</p><p>The trouble with that was that they needed a Force-user.</p><p>"Well, I don't think either of us are particularly eager to see Kylo Ren again," Dameron said, his voice low, "but if you can get us out of here, then I know someone who might be able to help." Mights and maybes weren't what Hux had hoped for, but beggars could not be choosers. That chance was better than the prospect of staying and facing almost certain death by proxy, if and when someone decided to shoot Dameron.</p><p>"I know a way."</p><p> </p><p>"I thought you'd flown one of these before," Hux snapped, just as Dameron pulled a last minute maneuver, barely avoiding the incoming enemy fire. In fact, he remembered the last time Dameron had flown in one of these in great detail, but the cockpit was quite cramped enough without Dameron's head getting any bigger.</p><p>"Not <em> one-handed, </em> I haven't, and my last gunner was a better shot than you." He sounded out of breath when he laughed. "Mind you, he wasn't manning a turret one-handed either." Hux was beginning to feel nauseous, and not because of the pain. There was a reason he'd joined the First Order's army rather than the navy. He shuddered as he felt Dameron's fingers intertwine with his. "It's alright. We've got this." Surprisingly, Dameron turned out to be right. There really was a first time for everything.</p><p>It wasn't until they were plunged into the iridescent blue of hyperspace that he realised the pain in his wrist had disappeared.</p><p> </p><p>The scavenger girl frowned at the cuffs that bound Hux, body and soul, to Dameron. They sat side by side (as if they had a <em> choice </em> in that matter), in what passed for a medbay on the <em> Millennium Falcon. </em>Dameron was still holding his hand, since that was the only way they'd found so far to make the pain go away.</p><p>"But you say it doesn't hurt as much when you move?" Hux avoided looking at the traitor (no, <em> Finn, </em> Dameron had reminded him), while the girl <em> (Rey) </em> tilted her head to examine the locking mechanism.</p><p>"Well, not <em> just </em> when we're moving," Dameron said, fidgeting by way of stroking the back of Hux's hand with his thumb, "more like when we move <em> together. </em> With the same, I don't know...purpose?" Now that he mentioned it, Hux realised that the pain had very <em> gradually </em> reduced since Ren handcuffed him to an unconscious Dameron, slumped in his interrogation chair. It had been up to Hux to remove the restraints, which had naturally involved a good deal of pulling and pushing <em> against </em>Dameron. No wonder it had hurt so much. He felt like an imbecile for not making that connection himself, even if he had had other things on his mind, such as getting the hell out of there.</p><p>"I know these records say they can only be removed with the Force, but...maybe you need to work together to 'unlock' them," Rey said, carefully twisting the cuff on Dameron's wrist to get a better look. She didn't touch Hux. "A wise man told me the Force isn't just about lifting rocks. It's everywhere, in all of us." Hux rolled his eyes. He'd had more than enough mysticism, and this was the last fucking straw.</p><p>"If you don't <em> know </em> how to remove them-" Finn stepped forward, but Rey shook her head.</p><p>"I'm saying I <em> can't." </em> She turned back to Dameron. "The last time I tapped into the dark side, I brought down a prisoner transport. Thank the stars it was empty, but I thought I'd <em> killed </em> you, Poe." Hux didn't bother mentioning that it hadn't <em> quite </em>been empty, since transports needed pilots.</p><p>"I don't <em> understand, </em>but I get it." Dameron took her trembling hand, and gave Hux's a gentle squeeze at the same time, for some reason. "If there's another way to do this, we'll figure it out."</p><p>"Thank you." It was then that Hux realised just how <em> young </em>she was, this slip of a girl who'd managed to best Ren, and Finn, who'd held his own against Phasma. Perhaps there was yet hope for the Resistance. He'd figure out how he felt about that later - for now, he'd be happy to watch the Final Order burn.</p><p>And to get out of these damn handcuffs.</p><p> </p><p>None of the bunks on the <em> Falcon </em> were adequately sized for two people, and Hux briefly wondered how the wookiee managed to fit into any of them. Perhaps the beast slept on the floor, which he honestly wouldn't have minded himself, but Dameron had insisted on sharing the bed, insisting that it'd be more comfortable for both of them. Hux could see where he was coming from, though he couldn't say he was entirely <em> convinced. </em></p><p>Hux had never shared a bed with another person before. He'd never seen the point. It seemed like asking for trouble, really - providing easy access for a breach of security if you were lucky, or an assassination attempt if you weren't. It was strange being that close to someone, and the fact that they had to lie on their sides, facing one another wasn't helping. Dameron's breath was light and warm against his lips, and altogether far too intimate. Still, it was marginally better than the indignity of having to go to the 'fresher together.</p><p>"Relax," Dameron murmured, their foreheads almost touching, "if I kick you out of bed, I'm on the floor, too."</p><p>"How reassuring."</p><p>"Get some rest, Hugs. You look like you haven't slept in a decade." Dameron's eyelashes fluttered as he started to drift, and Hux wondered how anyone could ever feel that comfortable. But as he felt the rhythmic beat of Dameron's heart, perfectly in sync with his own, the exhaustion of that past decade (perhaps even longer) began to melt away. He doubted that he'd be able to sleep like this, but for the first time in a long time, he <em> almost </em> felt safe. At least, he didn't think anyone was going to murder him in his bed.</p><p>For lack of anything better to do, he studied Dameron's face. The purple-yellow bruises blooming beneath his tawny skin had been soothed with bacta gel, and the cut on his cheek was all but healed. Hux resisted the bizarre urge to lift his still-gloved hand and follow the fading line from the corner of Dameron's eye to his soft-looking lips. He stared at them, puzzling over that softness, until sleep finally claimed him.</p><p>When Hux woke, his wrist itched and his cock ached. The former subsided when he tightened his grip on Dameron's hand, and the latter...well, he didn't have a lot of options there, so he thought of the Supreme Leader and his ridiculous mask in the hope that would make the problem disappear.</p><p>It might even have worked, if not for Dameron waking up at precisely that moment.</p><p>"That's not...it's not what it looks like." Dameron frowned, still half-asleep, before he realised, with a smirk, what Hux was talking about.</p><p>"Look, we've all been there. Honestly, I'm kind of flattered." Hux groaned. "I don't mind. I can turn away if you want to, <em> you know-" </em></p><p>"I do <em> not." </em>Hux revised his earlier opinion - this was far worse than the shared trips to the 'fresher.</p><p> </p><p>The next time it happened, Dameron was hard, too, which made the situation marginally more tolerable. Bearable enough, at least, that they were <em> both </em> able to laugh it off and enter into an unspoken agreement to jerk themselves off, back to back, in the shower room when they needed to. It wasn't all that different to being at the academy, sharing a room with three other teenage boys. In fact, it might actually have been a little less awkward. At least Dameron wasn't being <em> weird </em>about it.</p><p>"Do they feel a little looser to you?" Dameron asked, lifting both their hands up and rattling the short chain between them. "Maybe it's my imagination. It's been quite the week." And <em> that </em>was quite the understatement. Finn and Rey had located Palpatine and his fleet, and the Resistance was preparing for battle. There was a nervous energy penetrating the base that even Hux wasn't wholly immune to.</p><p>"They chafe less," he said, with conviction, though he wasn't sure they'd actually loosened. Now and then he could have sworn the red light seemed to flicker and fade but, as Dameron said, it had been quite the week.</p><p>"Are you still up for getting back in that TIE fighter?" Dameron had been determined to work out the logistics for fitting the two of them in his X-wing. With some creative maneuvering, it <em> had </em> been possible to fit two people in the tiny cockpit, but Dameron had eventually seen sense and admitted that flying like that just wasn't feasible, particularly with someone as long-limbed as Hux.</p><p>"Do I have a choice?" Dameron bit his lower lip, considering his answer.</p><p>"Yes. I'm not going to stand by and do nothing, but you didn't exactly sign up for a dogfight." Hux hadn't <em> signed up </em> for anything at all, but that was beside the point. He'd picked a side when Ren had, once more, forced his hand - only this time it had been more literal. "I'm open to other suggestions."</p><p>"No, I'm...up for it." After all, it hadn't gone so terribly last time, and Hux hated standing around as much as Dameron did. Of course, he also hated the sensation of hurtling through space, but he'd suck that up. Dameron grinned and gave his hand a quick squeeze, and his stomach felt strange. He told himself it was just nerves.</p><p>
  <em> "We've got this. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>He'd been right again. More than once, it crossed Hux's mind that the galaxy may have turned upside down right with them when their TIE fighter was nearly sent tumbling into the stormy skies above Exegol. He'd seen the data, the numbers...he'd desperately wanted Kylo Ren to lose, but he'd never really thought the Resistance could <em> win, </em> and it wasn't like he'd really <em> wanted </em> that. And yet, as they moved through the base and the celebrating crowds, his whole body trembled with adrenaline. Once again, it was only Dameron's hand that was keeping <em> him </em> from tumbling into the eye of a storm.</p><p>"You okay?" Dameron asked, slowing down when they reached a quieter part of the forest.</p><p>"I-I'm fine." He sat down on a log, carefully avoiding a couple of suspicious-looking mushrooms sprouting from the bark. "Just..."</p><p>"Hey," Dameron crouched down in front of him, equally keen to avoid touching the mushrooms, "you were amazing back there. Taking out those TIE Daggers? I couldn't have done it without you." Hux hesitated a moment, before gripping Dameron's collar and pulling him into a clumsy, bruising kiss.</p><p>Almost as soon as they lost their glow, the cuffs loosened, dropping in Hux's lap before he knocked them gleefully to the forest floor. When Dameron deepened the kiss, Hux got to unbuckling his belt, grateful that he wasn't wearing that orange monstrosity of a flight suit with the awkwardly placed zips.</p><p>"Are you sure about this?" Hux sighed. He might not have done this before, but it was hardly as if he was some <em> clueless teenager </em> looking to get laid.</p><p>"Are <em> you?" </em></p><p>"I- yeah, I'm ready if you are."</p><p>"So I see." Dameron laughed, running both his hands through Hux's hair as they kissed again. He'd wanted the handcuffs off - he <em> had </em> - but the thought of being apart from Dameron, of <em> not </em> touching him, bordered on unbearable. Hux knew this was a bad idea, but he slid his hand beneath Dameron's waistband. He was full of bad ideas lately, anyway. And so, slowly, he got down to his knees, resting on Dameron's thighs as he took the tip of his cock in his mouth, careful not to graze it with his teeth.</p><p><em> "Fuck," </em> Dameron hissed, "oh no, no, you're doing fine. Great, even." Hux carried on, humming softly when Dameron's cock brushed against the roof of his mouth. He felt good, <em> tasted </em>good, and the way he whimpered each time Hux took him in a little deeper had to be one of the best things he'd ever heard.</p><p>"Sorry, <em> sorry." </em> Hux gagged slightly as Dameron's hips jerked forward. He'd have preferred a little warning, but it was far from being a wholly unpleasant experience. "I'm going to- do you want me to-" He hadn't really thought about that until now, but Hux gave a nod that he hoped was distinguishable from the general bobbing of his head. Given that, moments later, Dameron came in his mouth, he figured he'd been understood.</p><p>"That was..." Hux fully expected the next words out of Dameron's mouth to be insulting, infuriating, or both. "Well, it was a little unexpected. Not that I'm complaining." He tucked himself away before lowering himself to Hux's level, and kissed him again, brushing the stray hairs back from his forehead. "Seems I'm in your debt once again, Hugs."</p><p>"You're resourceful, Dameron. I'm sure you can think of some way to repay me."</p><p>"Please," he said, urging Hux to sit back down on the log while he remained crouched on the forest floor, "I <em> think </em> you can call me Poe now."</p><p>Hux smiled. As long as <em> Poe </em> didn't try to call <em>him</em> by his first name, he just might be able to get used to this.</p>
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